Overview

• UEFA’s Executive Committee is set to approve the change, which is considered a formality.
• Teams finishing in the top eight of the 36-team single table will host all knockout return legs instead of only the round of 16.
• The proposal responds to this season’s complaints that second- and third-placed clubs played their semifinal return legs away despite higher rankings.
• The current 2024–25 campaign introduced the single-table format with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16 and teams 9–24 entering playoff ties.
• UEFA rejected other potential tweaks, including a proposal to eliminate extra time and go straight to penalty shootouts in knockout matches.